It won’t be long now. As this is being written, we’re less than two weeks away. The first night of the NFL Draft comes on April 27th, and for the Minnesota Vikings, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and the rest of the Vikes staff, this represents an amazing opportunity to improve on a fine 13-4 regular season, one that eventually led to disappointment.
No one wanted to see a crushing home Wild Card Round loss versus the New York Giants at U.S. Bank Stadium. An NFL G.M.’s job consists of more than showing up to the draft war room and balancing the salary cap. Who are we kidding though? That’s often how these guys are graded.
Prior to landing in Minneapolis, Adofo-Mensah, a Princeton graduate, spent time with the San Francisco 49ers (2013–2016) as their manager of football research and development (2013-2016). He also served as the San Francisco 49ers’ director of football development (2017–2019) and as the Cleveland Browns’ vice president of football operations (2020–2021). The 2022-2023 NFL season was his first as Viking general manager.
So, how should we rate the job Kwesi? We’re glad you asked. Recently, we heard some feedback. You’ll want to check this out if you missed it.
Gregg Rosenthal ranks every NFL general manager. Let’s just say Kwesi Adofo-Mensah still has some work to do with this Vikings squad.
Minnesota added ten new prospects during the 2022 NFL Draft. That includes four young stars the franchise is investing a lot of stock into. Three of them are being asked to add some much-needed punch on defense.
Safety Lewis Cine (Georgia), cornerback Andrew Booth (Clemson), and guard Ed Ingram (LSU) were all taken during the first two rounds. Linebacker Brian Asamoah (Oklahoma) and CB Akayleb Evans (Missouri) were added in Round 3 and Round 4.
Around the NFL’s Gregg Rosenthal recently dropped his general manager power rankings. Howie Roseman (Eagles), Brett Veach (Chiefs), Duke Tobin (Bengals), Brandon Beane/Sean McDermott (Bills), and John Lynch/Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers landed in the top five. Kwesi, well, he sort of earned an ‘incomplete’ while landing in the ‘too new’ category. Here’s some of what Rosenthal listed as his reasons for that decision.
"Managing a team in transition, Adofo-Mensah helped the Vikings win the NFC North with smart moves in free agency (Za’Darius Smith, Patrick Peterson, Harrison Phillips) and a timely trade for T.J. Hockenson. His first draft class is off to a slow start, with very little production despite four picks in the top 66. The Vikings’ decision to start weaning themselves off the Kirk Cousins narcotic by passing on an extension this offseason was integral in setting up the franchise’s next phase."
Ran Carthon (Titans), Omar Khan (Steelers), Ryan Poles (Bears), Joe Schoen (Giants), and Dave Ziegler (Raiders) all join Kwesi in the ‘too new’ category. Truthfully, while hitting on the free-agent market, the remainder of the Vikings’ offseason will go a long way in determining how he is graded during the coming season.
His first draft class didn’t result in any statistical explosions, but all will earn another opportunity to prove they should be a part of this team’s long-term future. They’ll be key cogs on the Vikings’ roster as we venture through the season. It may be too early to determine how his tenure as Minnesota’s head man will pan out, but so far, so good. Fingers are crossed for another NFC North title and hopefully a deep playoff run.
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